Improvement in harvesters



J. P. BURNHAM.

Harvester.

No. 26,251. Patented Nov. 29, 1859.

F/CT/ L o z, M WW Rv PETERS. Pnmwumo n mr. Washmmcn- D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN P. BURNHAM, OF ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS.

lM PROVEMENT IN HARVESTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 26,251, dated November 29, 1859.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN P. BURNHAM, of Rockford, in the county of Winnebago and State of Illinois, have invented a new and Improved Harvester; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being bad to the annexed drawings", making a part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a sectional view of my invention, taken in the line a as, Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a back view of the same in elevation.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the two figures.

, To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct my invention,I will proceed to describe it.

A represents the main frame of aharvester, and B is the platform attached thereto at one side, said platform having a reciprocating sickle, 0, attached to its front end.

D is a supporting or driving wheel placed in the main frame A, and having its outer side provided with pointed projections, which form a cam, E. The form of these projections is shown clearly in Fig. 2.

I The outer side of the platform B is supported by the usual grain-wheel, F, and the back part of the main frameis supported by a small wheel, G.

On the back part of the main frame A, and just behind the cam or driving-wheel D, a guide-socket, H, is attached, in which a slide, 1, is fitted with a dovetail projection, a, as shown clearly in Fig. 1. In the slide I a small shaft is fitted, having an arm, I), attached to its back end, and a lever, J, attached to its front end, the shaft being attached to the center of the lever. To each end of lever J afriction-roller, c, is attached, and these rollers are kept in contact with the teeth of the cam E by means of a spiral spring, (I, which is placed on an arm or shaft, 0, attached to the slide I. This arm or shaft 6 extends through the lower part of a lever, K, which is attached to the main frame, the shaft having a pin, f, passing through it near its-outer end.

To the lower end of the arm b a connectingrod, L, is attached, said rod being also attached to the end of sickle G.

To oneend of the shaft-g of the wheel D conepulleys hare attached, and on a shaft, M,which is fitted in standards 73 on the main frame A, cone-pulleysj are placed, and a belt, k, passes around the pulleys hj, as shown in both drawlngs.

To the back end of the shaft M a crank, N, is attached, and to this crank, near its end, a pin, 1, is secured, which pin works in a slot, m, made longitudinally in a bar, 0, the upper end of which is pivoted to an upright, n, at the back end of a bar, 0, which connects the two standards *5.

To the lower end of the bar 0 a rod, P, is connected by a pivot, 19, and the outer end of this rod is attached to a slide, Q, which is litted on a rod, Q, on the back end of the platform B. In this slide Q a tubular shaft, It, is fitted and allowed to turn freely,said shaft being also fitted on the rod and allowed to slide freely back and forth thereon with the slideQ.

To the outer end of shaft It a rake-head, S, is permanently attached at right angles, said rake-head projecting over the platform from its back to its front end, and provided with suitable teeth, q.

On the inner part of the shaft R a screwflange, r, is formed, and on the inner part of the platform B, at its back end, afriction-roller, s, is placed. To the outer part of the platform, at its back end, a small upright, t,is attached, and to the slide Q a catch, a, is attached, the use of which will be presently shown.

The operation is as follows: As the machine moves along the cam E on wheel D vibrates the lever J, and the arm I) and rod L give a reciprocating motion to the sickle O, the spring d keeping the rollers 0 against the cam E. In case, however, the movement of the sickle 0 from any cause is suddenly obstructed, the spring d will yield or give and allow the lever J and slide I to move outward, so that neither the sickle nor connecting-rod will be subjected to any strain, and consequently not liable to be broken, and by adjusting the lever K the lever J may be thrown entirely out of gear with the cam E, and also secured at such a distance from it as to give the sickle O a greater orless degree of vibration, as may be desired. The shaft M is rotated by the belt 70, and the crank N oscillates the bar 0, which, in connection with the rod P, gives a reciprocating movement to the slide Q and rake S. This rake, asit reaches the termination of its inward movement at the back of the main frame A, is raised,- as shown in black, Fig. 1, in consequence of the spiral flange r passing under the roller 8,

and the rake is retained in an elevated position as it moves toward the outer end of the platform, in consequence of a rod, a", which is attached to the rake,being secured by the catch a. As the rake S reaches the termination of its outward movement the catch a is pressed against the upright t, and the rod a being thereby released, the rake S falls, and during its movement toward the inner end of the platform rakes the cut grain therefrom, the rake being then raised by the screw-flange 0" passing under roller 8, as previously described. The combination of the screw-flange r with the rake-head R serves to raise the rake, and at the same time elongates the bearing-surface ofthe rake-head upon the rod Q, over which it slides, thereby augmenting the strength and durability of the rake and all its parts.

In the use of all rakes which slide upon rods the weight ofthe grain tends to impart a twist ing motion to the rake audits rod. Thisis obviated in myimprovement by having the flange 4' placed upon the rake-head R, as thelatter is thereby necessarily made larger and in its bearing-surface increased and the rake-head strengthened. The spiral flange also increases the weight of the rake-head, so that the latter in its movement acquires a momentum which enables it to rise upon the friction-roller Withoutjarring or rocking the whole machine.

I do not claim the cam E, attached to the driving-wheel D and actuating the lever J, for such is an old and well-known device for driving' reciprocating sickles. Neither do I claim the means for giving the rake a reciprocating movement; but

I do claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent-- v The employment of a spring, (1, in combination with the lever J and connecting-rod L, substantially as and for the purpose herein shown and described.

JOHN P. BURN HAM.

Witnesses:

PARKER Wool), J. G. MANLovE. 

